Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 518 — page 15: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

t EER EIEN EA y = git. rege adi _ - | which, landing right between the } him to see more stars than he had e in the heavens. . The man was game, though, and a third time he rose and renewed the fight. As before, the fists of his opponent played the devil’s tattoo ail over his chest and face until he was sick and sore. Rendered desperate by the pain of his bruises, he essayed to close in with his agile antagonist, and this time he succeeded. Little benefit was it, though, for Cool Colorado was fully as expert in wrestling as in the use of his fists, and then, to the utter astonishment of Arkansaw Bill, when he came to close quarters with his antagonist, he made the discovery that the scout was a far stronger man than he. A few moments the two struggled over the turf, and then in some peculiar way Cool Colo- rado got a certain grip on his opponent, and then Arkansaw Bill was turned upside down, and thrown to the earth with a force which stunned him. He had been “ cross-buttocked.” | The man laid so still that for a moment the crowd jumped to the conclusion that he had been killed by the fall. “Is he dead, do you think?’ asked Tommy Doyle, voicing the curiosity of the crowd. **Oh, no, he has too hard a head to mind a little thing like that!” Cool Colorado observed. The miners looked at each other. It might be a ‘little thing” in the scout’s Opinion, but there wasn’t a man in the crowd who would have been willing to allow the ‘‘ little bing ” to be tried-upon him for a fifty-dollar slug. It was fully three minutes before the prostrate - man recovered his senses, and when he did, sat up and looked around him, it was plain from the expression upon his face that he had got all ‘the fighting he desired. ‘*Time!’’ yelled one of the miners in derision. ‘*Shut yer yawp!” exclaimed Judge Lynch. **Tf you war in his place you wouldn’t be so eager to yell time!” Arkansaw Bill rose slowly to his feet. ** No more in mine,” he remarked. ‘I’ve got all I want. I thought I knew something ’bout fighting, and was entitled to consider myself a : bad man from Badville, but now I cave right in. I’m sore from the crown of my head to the sole of my foot, and I believe I am black and blue all over. ** You have got enough?” ‘*Durn sight more than enuff!” growled the road-agent. ‘* ‘You remember the agreement?” ‘**Oh, yes, and [ will live up to it like a man,” the fellow replied. ‘* Somebody ought to take a club to me, though, bn for not giving the thing away before I got pounded half to death. * You are right ’bout the gang; it was a put- up job to lay you out.” “All right! Nevermind the particulars now; Judge Lynch, I reckon, would like to hear the yarn in private,” Cool Colorado interrupted. With his usual caution, the scout had reflect- ed that there might be some spy of the outlaw band in the town, and present, a witness to the scene, To the hotel went the two scouts, Judge Lynch and the prisoner, and there, in a private room, from which the crowd was barred, much to their disgust, Arkansaw Bill told all he knew. ; He had not been rally trusted with the plans ate ya N hem gla vee of whom n his pa crime in former years but he was able to tell of the capture of the girl and her confinement in the lonely +ranch upon the mountain-side in the heart of the Bad Lands. ~ An hour afterward, the two scouts with four well-armed volunteers were on the trail, 3 CHAPTER XVIII. , BROUGHT TO BAY. Two more angry and disgusted men than the - two outlaws, as they rode on through the night . toward their lonely ranch, never drew breath in Colorado, ; - “Durn me, if we hain’t had the worst kind of luck!” Dublin Mike declared. ‘Yes, there isn’t much doubt about that,” Old Nick replied. ‘We didn’t succeed in wiping out the blood- hounds, and we have lost two of the best men for our road-agent business that I knew of in the West.” » 4 tentf!! of a. ‘Do you suppose they both cashed their checks?” | r witnessed a Se an back, having been beaten down with a blow es, caused | TLL sss Cool Colorado in New York. ‘* Oh, yes; they are probably being assigned warm apartments down below about this time,” Nick Spader remarked, grimly. ‘* T thought, mebbe, that Arkansaw Bill might not be much hurt.” ‘‘T] saw him throw up his hands just as his horse went down, as if he had got a bullet right through the heart. You know there was a per- fect shower of lead around us at that time,” ‘* Yes, it rained bullets!” ‘¢] don’t think there is a doubt that he was ewounded, and mortally, too, and the tumble from his horse would be enough to break his neck, anyway.” ‘‘ Well, what I was thinking was that if either one of them was captured they might blow the gaff on us, let out, you know, about our ranch hyer, and give away the capture of the girl.” ‘* There might be danger of that, of course, but hardly with two such men as our fellows,” ‘* They know that it is Old Nick’s boast that he never deserts a pal who is in danger, and mare a man of my gang have 1 rescued from the hands of the miners when it looked as if nothing short of a miracle would save their necks from hempen necktvies.”’ ‘‘If you thought there was any danger, it might well for us to change our location,” Dublin Mike observed, shrewdly. ‘It is always best to be on the safe side, of course,” Nick Spader observed, reflectively. ‘*] guess we had better seek other quarters to- morrow. I know ‘another ranch, about five miles off, butit is nothing but an old ruin; it will afford us shelter, though, until we can find out how things are in Red Bluffs. ‘If both of our men have ‘crossed the range,’ as I believe, there will not be any danger of a discovery, and we can come back; but as you say, it is-always better to be safe.” ** How is your wound?” ‘“ Hurts like blazes!” ‘*T am afraid it is a serivus one.” ** Yes, [ am bleeding like a stuck pig.” ‘** Hadn't you better let me see if I can’t ban- dage it?” Dublin Mike asked. ‘** We can afford to stop for a while now; there’s no danger of a pursuit even if the miners had good horses, for it would puzzle a red-skin to follow our trail to-night,” ‘**All right! pull ene They halted, and Dublin Mike, who, by reason of the wild life he had led had managed to pick up considerable knowledge in regard to the treat- ment of wounds, examined the hurt which his pard had received. *Tain’t anything dangerous, though it will be a nasty sore for some time,” Dublin Mike re- marked, as he bandaged the hurt. After this episode the two resumed their on- ward progress, In due time they arrived at the lonely ranch. The sentinel was on duty and reported that no incident had marked the night’s watch. The Ute priicess was in her apartment, the door fastened with stout padlock on the outside, and even if it had been possible for the girl to escape from her place of confinement, there wasn’t a nook on the ledge where she could have found concealment from the gaze of the sentinel, and she could net possibly have gone down the trail without almost stepping on him. The pards retired to the vacant apartment of the cabin, leaving the sentinel still on guard, lit a candle and helped themselves to some refresh- ments chiefly consisting of whisky. After this was done the two conversed to- gether in regard to projects for the future for seen an hour when a sudden idea came to Nick pader. ‘I say, Mike, we are going to have a deal of trouble with the red queen, [ am afraid!” he ex- claimed, abruptly. “3 — - . gi of it” : at 1s the use of fooling with her?” ‘* Not much, that’s a Sart é ‘‘ This little scheme of ours to get the secret of the Hidden Mine out of her by means of playing upon ber love for Sioux Sam is going tobe & total failure.” ‘* Tt looks like it.” ‘Why wait any longer—why not now eae if we can't frighten the saad to, of er ‘** Tt will be a bard job,” ““No doubt about that, but I have made u my mind; she will either yield the secret or we’ kill her by inches!” cers : Fierce was the tone in which the ruthless out- law spoke. “Well, one red gal, more or less won't make much difference in this hyer world,” Dublin Mike remarked with the air of a philosopher. ‘ ' | } i Neen ncm cnc c ncn nccr ccc ccna LLL LL CC LC Lc cc tetas sss 15 ‘* Goodness knows thar’s a heap sight more red- skins in existence now than there is any need of.” ‘True as gospel, old man! Vl do it, aud right away, too!” the outlaw chief declared, jumping to his feet. Taking the candle they proceeded to the apartment where the girl was confined. She had been lying upon the couch of pine- boughs but rose to a sitting posture as they entered, The outlaws, angered by the defeat which they had experienced, lost no time in coming directly to the point. ‘*Have you made up your mind to reveai to us the secret of the Hidden Mine?” Nick Spader demanded, glowering upon the girl in his angriest way. ‘‘How many times must I tell you that the tale is afable and that no such thing exists?” the gir] replied, perfectly composed, although her quick instinct told her that an hour of peril was at hand. ‘*Oh, Iam tired of bandying words with you about this matter,” Old Nick declared. ‘*T have given you ample time now to reflect about it. ‘‘Tell us the secret of the mine and we will let you go free—ay, you can join your lover, Sioux Sam, who is now in Red Bluffs wondering why you do not come, ‘This man here,” and he nodded to Dublin Mike, “‘ has told me about your love scrape and he has concluded to go in with me on this mine business. ‘*Come, you had better out with the truth.” “Yes, and then you kin go to Sioux Sam,” added Dublin Mike, persuasively. The girl did not believe a single word that was said in regard to the young scout, but she was wise enough not to admit the fact. She contented herself with repeating her for- mer statement that she had nothing to disclose. ‘*‘Ah, you are determined to be obstinate, then!” cried Old Nick, infuriated by the refusal. ‘‘f must use harsh measures—I will put you to sucb torture that in your agony you will call aloud on death to come and release you from your torments. ‘* You red-skins boast of your courage and I will give you a chance to make good the vaunt of your nation. ‘‘And in the beginning I will knock you senseless with the butt of my revolver so we can ape you for the torture without being trou- led by your struggles!” He drew the weapon from his belt while the girl retreated to the furthest end of the apart- ment. She was helpless in the power of two men more savage than any red buck that ever tortured a helpless prisoner. ut heaven did not deign that the helpless red maid should fall the prey of these ruthless Villaias, As they advanced, a shout of alarm came from the lips of the sentinel without. ‘* Are we surprised?” cried Old Nick, and then he and Dublin Mike, revolvers in hand, rushed into the open air. They rushed to their death, for ere they burst through the door they were met by a well- directed volley of shots and down they sunk wel- tering in their gore. Two of the worst ruffians that ever disgraced _ annals of Colorade had gone to the long ome, The sentinel, not expecting danger, had been surprised at his post, and the shout of alarm had not esca from his lips until he found him- self in the grasp of the foe who had crept upon him unawares with all the caution of the wild- cat. As the reader has doubtless guessed, the res- cuers who had come in the very nick of time were the two scouts, Cool Colorado, and Sioux Sam, and their miner friends. The Snow White Dove, crouching in the rear of the apartment, had not been harmed by the bullets which had slain the two outlaws, She came forward when the scouts entered the apartment, and fell fainting into the arms of the man she lov : , And Sioux Sam, looking down upon the beau- tiful face of the half-breed, suddenly came to the conclusion that he loved her to distraction. Reader, our tale is told. Whether the princess ever told the secret of the Hidden Mine to her husband, if such a thing really exists, isa mystery, but one fact is cer- tain, Sioux Sam has gone into stock raising, prospers wonderfully, and seems to have plenty of money, AEA ek Perhaps it is the Ute’s gold which aids him, _ THE END. é wer cae xo} (E im he i